Abstract: The fixing apparatus is configured to include a fixing roller, a paper separation claw, a drive source that switches between a state in which the paper separation claw is in contact with the fixing roller and a state in which the paper separation claw is separated from the fixing roller, and a paper transport guide that is disposed on the downstream side of the fixing roller, the drive source including a heat generating element, and to further include a main ventilation channel that channels cooling air to a fixed paper sheet passing over the paper transport guide and a sub ventilation channel that is branched from the main ventilation channel and channels a portion of the cooling air to the heat generating element.

Abstract: The present disclosure illustrates an image forming apparatus with structural connection function. The image forming apparatus can be applied to a business machine, to solve the problem of bad quality of image caused by shaking of a developing module. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the groove with the inclined angle is equal to the pressure angle of the gear to constrain the operation direction of the developing module, so as to prevent the developing module from shaking. The present disclosure just modifies the design of the guiding channel to constrain the developing module, so the cost of components can be reduced efficiently.

Abstract: A heating roller includes: a core bar having a cylindrical shape; a rubber layer arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the core bar; and a release layer arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the rubber layer, wherein when thermally fixing a developer on a recording medium, the heating roller is heated to a temperature within a fixing temperature range including a minute particle-scattering start temperature at which minute particles start to scatter from the rubber layer. The heating roller is arranged inside a casing which is connected to a minute particle density measuring device; then the core bar of the heating roller inside the casing is heated to 230° C. by a heater; and when the density of the minute particles inside the casing is measured after elapse of 20 minutes since start of the heating, the density of the minute particles is less than 2,000 pieces/cm3.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image holder that is mounted at a predetermined mount position, a charging member that charges the image holder, a cleaning member that cleans the charging member, a holding member that holds the charging member and the cleaning member, includes a mount section on which the cleaning member is mounted, is urged toward the image holder side, and recedes when the image holder is mounted at the predetermined mount position, and a drop-out prevention section that is disposed at a position facing the mount section which is included in the holding member at a receding position and that prevents the cleaning member from dropping out from the mount section.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having: a supply unit that forwards a sheet material; a rotor that feeds the sheet material; a memory unit that has stored therein a masking sound for noise; a derivation unit that derives a current position of the sheet material being fed; a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the current position derived by the derivation unit, whether or not the sheet material being fed has reached a second specified location at a predetermined distance upstream from the first specified location; a decision unit that decides output timing and/or output duration for the masking sound in the memory unit upon an affirmative determination by the determination unit; and a sound output unit that outputs the masking sound in the memory unit in accordance with the output timing and/or the output duration.

Abstract: Provided is an accommodating container that is mounted in a housing, accommodates an accommodated object therein, and is provided in such a manner that the accommodating container is capable to be pulled out of the housing, the accommodating container including an operation reception portion that is provided with a starting point in a portion thereof which a user touches when pulling the accommodating container out of the housing, and plural ridge portions which extend in different directions from the starting point.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first photosensitive member, having a first outer diameter, a toner image being formed on the first photosensitive member, and a second photosensitive member, having a second outer diameter, a toner image being formed on the second photosensitive member, the second outer diameter being greater than the first outer diameter. A second transfer roller in relation to the second photosensitive member is disposed on a downstream side of a first transfer roller in relation to the first photosensitive member in a conveyance direction of an intermediate transfer belt. A pressing force of the second transfer roller applied to the second photosensitive member is set to be greater than a pressing force of the first transfer roller applied to the first photosensitive member.

Abstract: A transport mechanism includes: a container that stores a specific developer; a transport body that transports the developer in an axial direction of a shaft about which the transport body rotates in the container while stirring the developer; a bearing that supports the transport body such that the transport body is rotatable about the shaft; and a restricting portion that has a substantially annular shape and a maximum magnetic force of about 20 mT or greater and about 50 mT or smaller and restricts the transportation of the developer past the restricting portion by surrounding the shaft, the restricting portion being provided nearer to a side on which the transport body transports the developer than the bearing in the axial direction of the shaft.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body to come into contact with a toner image on a recording medium and a pressing rotary body separably pressed against the fixing rotary body to press the recording medium against the fixing rotary body. A cooler, disposed opposite the pressing rotary body to cool the pressing rotary body, includes a fan to move air to the pressing rotary body and at least one inlet duct interposed between the fan and the pressing rotary body to supply air from the fan to the pressing rotary body. The at least one inlet duct selectively cools the pressing rotary body in a variable axial span in an axial direction thereof.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive member to move in a rotational direction, a charging unit to charge the photoconductive member, a discharging unit to discharge a portion of the photoconductive member to form a latent image thereon, and a plurality of ink applicator units to sequentially apply a plurality of ink layers, respectively, toward the latent image to form an ink image. The image forming apparatus may also include an image transfer blanket to receive the ink image including the plurality of ink layers from the photoconductive member.

Abstract: A ventilation structure includes a duct unit between a heat generating structure and a heat insulating structure. The ventilation structure includes a heat generating structure side flow channel formed on the heat generating structure side in the duct unit to take in and let fresh air flow along a long side of the duct unit and a heat insulating structure side flow channel formed on the heat insulating structure side in the duct unit to exhaust air outputted from an exhaust system provided in the heat generating structure by letting the air flow and evacuate along the short side of the duct unit.

Abstract: A destaticizing device includes: a first destaticizing member that is disposed at a downstream side in a conveyance direction of a medium relatively to a transfer area where an image held in a surface of an image holder is transferred to the medium, the first destaticizing member being grounded and destaticizing the medium; and a second destaticizing member that is disposed adjacent to the first destaticizing member with respect to the conveyance direction of the medium, the second destaticizing member being grounded and destaticizing the medium.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing member, a toner supplying member, and a carrier recovering member configured to recover magnetic carrier particles from the toner supplying member. An outer surface of the toner supplying member includes a plurality of protrusion portions with a regular interval between adjacent protrusion portions. The regular interval is equal to or larger than a particle diameter of a toner particle having an average particle diameter from among the particle diameters of the toner particles and smaller than a carrier particle diameter of a magnetic carrier particle having an average particle diameter from among the particle diameters of the magnetic carrier particles. The protrusion portions protrude from the remainder of the outer surface of the toner supplying member with a height that is smaller than the average particle diameter of the toner particles.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a toner cartridge, a toner recovery container, a toner cartridge inserting section and a toner recovery container inserting section. The toner cartridge houses the toner to be supplied to a photoconductor. The toner recovery container houses the toner recovered from the photoconductor at least. The toner cartridge inserting section is used to insert the toner cartridge detachably. The toner recovery container inserting section is used to insert the toner recovery container detachably. The toner recovery container is detachably inserted into the toner cartridge inserting section to supply the toner in the toner recovery container to the photoconductor.

Abstract: A developing roller is provided, which is capable of controlling a solid black density and a dot density at higher levels than currently available levels. An image forming apparatus employing the developing roller is also provided. The developing roller (1) includes a tubular base layer (4) of an elastic material, and a surface layer (6) of an elastic material provided on an outer peripheral surface (5) of the base layer (4), wherein the thickness d1 (mm) of the surface layer, the roller resistance R? (log ? as measured with an application voltage of 10 V) of the base layer, and the roller resistance R (log ? as measured with an application voltage of 100 V) of a stack including the base layer and the surface layer satisfy the following expressions (1) to (3): 1.0?R?R???(1) 0.1?d1?2??(2) 7.5?R?8.5??(3) The image forming apparatus incorporates the developing roller.

Abstract: A developing device configured to develop an electrostatic image includes a developing member and a carrier recovering member. An outer surface of the developing member includes a plurality of protrusion portions which extend in a direction intersecting a toner particle carrying direction and are aligned with a regular interval between adjacent protrusion portions. The regular interval is equal to or larger than a particle diameter of a toner particle having an average particle diameter from among the toner particles and smaller than a carrier particle diameter of a magnetic carrier particle having an average particle diameter from among the magnetic carrier particles. The protrusion portions protrude from the outer surface of the developing member with a height that is smaller than the average particle diameter of the toner particles, and the developing member contacts with the image bearing member at a developing portion.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus for controlling temperature of a fixing section based on a color material amount obtained from image data, it is determined whether the image data is a specific image, and the temperature of the fixing section is controlled so that the temperature of the fixing section becomes a predetermined temperature without using the color material amount obtained from the image data in a case where it is determined that the image data is a specific image as a determination result.

Abstract: A contact member is fitted in a cylindrical body that is substantially cylindrical and configurates an image carrier, and is supported by the cylindrical body while being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body at contact portions provided in three areas in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. All angles formed by two of straight lines passing through the contact portions and an axial center of the cylindrical body are more than about 90 degrees in a state in which the contact member is supported within the cylindrical body, when viewed from an axial direction of the cylindrical body.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus (1) including: external cover (63) covering outer side of side wall of housing (60) storing image forming portion (20), and having exhaust outlet (63f); equipment storage space (5) formed between side wall (62a) of housing (60) and external cover (63); opening (62f) formed in side wall (62a) and allowing inside of housing (60) to communicate with equipment storage space (S); exhaust fan (100) disposed in equipment storage space (S) and taking in air from housing (60) via opening (62f) and exhausting air from exhaust outlet (63f); heat generating equipment (70) disposed in equipment storage space (S); and duct (90) connecting air outlet (101b) of exhaust fan (100) and exhaust outlet (63f). Communicating portion (97), which allows inside and outside of duct (90) to communicate with each other, is formed in wall of duct (90) located on heat generating equipment (70) side.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a first power state and a second power state in which power consumption is lower than in the first power state includes a detection unit configured to detect an object present in a vicinity of the image forming apparatus, an receiving unit configured to receive a user's operation, a control unit configured to, if the object is detected by the detection unit or if the receiving unit receives the user's operation, shift the image forming apparatus from the second power state to the first power state, and a display unit configured to, if the image forming apparatus is shifted from the second power state to the first power state in response to receipt of the user's operation by the receiving unit, display information indicating that there is dust adhering to the detection unit.